Stressed Hologram
by speccyboy
Summary: A dead man tries to recover his past as he reflects on his state of digital consciousness in a virtual afterlife. Recalling his failed rescue mission during the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, will his memory of that fateful project lead him to take action? One-shot (possibly a lead-in to a new story), seen from the eyes of an OC. Read and review!


**Stressed Hologram**

**A one-shot, possibly a lead-in to a separate story altogether**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OCs**

I look down at my hand... or what appears to be my hand - physical and yet at the same time not real. Letting out a hollow laugh, I pick up my smartphone, thanks to my hard-light drive... and I manipulate it, trying to recall its functions. After a bit of tinkering, I come across a huge Wave file, at least 10 MB in size - an audio recording of my ill-fated rescue attempt... dated more than 20 years ago.

**_What the hell happened? I have to find out for myself._**

Without another word, I open and play the recording, eager to discover my past, and to unearth the cause of my unprecedented and premature death.

_"OK, Yakov... I'm in the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ. I'll get back to you ASAP."_

My voice still has the same ambiguity - simultaneously gentle and authoritative - as when I was alive. My friend, Yakov, on the other hand, is a different kind of ambiguous... I never could tell if he was being serious or just joking.

_"Good luck, Sandro. Yakov out."_

Taking my sweet time as per usual, I listen to the digitised sound chronicling my final moments alive. I can hear my past self grunt and breathe heavily, as if he... or I... was struggling to be clear and professional.

_Clear? Professional? That's not really in your vocabulary, Sandro._

Suddenly, I hear a voice that is neither mine nor that of my close friend. A more feminine voice, tinged with acid-like venom. I bathe in its flesh-stripping agony.

_"Anna... dear sister."_

_"Nina - hello."_

I can hear the sound of a gun being cocked and primed, although it is most likely coming from my past self rather than the two aforementioned females.

_"I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Shame it ends here and now - I was beginning to enjoy this Tournament."_

_"To get Kazuya, you'll have to get through me, sister."_

The sounds of fighting and Martial Arts noises goes on for a full minute, until there is a faint hissing noise... and the tone of the atmosphere changes from combat to betrayal.

_"Cyanose... sleeping gas!"_

_"What!?"_

_"Somebody's filling the... the room with a Chloroform compound!"_

_"He... he can't be! He said he... LOVED... me...!"_

_"He obviously LIED, you imbecile!"_

_"Hey... at least... I have a heart... Bride of Mr Freeze...!"_

There are two thuds, followed by a deep, abiding silence. I can hear my past self cursing almost inaudibly as the reality of the situation gets to him. The silence is broken by a deep, commanding voice.

_"Take them to the cryo-lab - strip them down and freeze them. The Boss will be proud."_

Noticing the increasing tension, I can hear my past self retract and call up his - my - friend.

_"Yakov, it's Sandro. We may have to abort the mission. I've just heard the Williams Sisters are being sent to the freezer."_  
_"Sandro, if we abort now, then the Mishima bloodline may risk continuing."_  
_"I don't care, Yakov - I'm going to try to save my own neck if I can... actually, no, scrap that. I'm going to try to get those girls out of there."_

There is a LONG pause.

_"Sandro... did I just hear you right?"_  
_"Yes, Yakov - I'm going to try to rescue the Williams Sisters."_  
_"Sandro, it's suicide! You heard what happened to them! They're gone."_

Click, dial tone. I laugh at the bravado and overconfidence of my past self - typical macho-man action-hero bullshit.

_"OK, Sandro... change of plan - save the girls. They're going to thank you, give you a kiss, and you'll probably get laid tonight - you and your buddy Yakov."_

Cocking what sounds like an assault rifle, the footsteps from my past self change from silent to steady, accompanied by a variation in the atmosphere. He reads out what appears to be the sign of a restricted area.

_"Restricted Area - Cryogenics Lab: Authorised Personnel Only. Authorise THIS."_

My past self fires a burst of rounds, opening the door... but also activating the alarm. For the next minute, all I can hear is gunfire followed by cries of agony as my living counterpart kills dozens of Mishima Zaibatsu PMC Troops. Eventually, a clicking sound is heard, followed by my historical form cursing.

_"Come on... come on! COME THE FUCK ON!"_

BANG! A gunshot is heard.

_"Shit!"_ My past self tries to retreat, as he is shot - and a scream of pain is heard.

_"Fuck!_" Heavy breathing follows, accompanied by another cry of agony... and a series of taunts by my past self.

_"Come on! Come on, you fuck! You drone fucks!"_

BANG! Another gunshot, followed by the me of the past yelling and screaming as a dull clunk is heard, indicating his assault rifle has been dropped. A door opens and closes... and the sound of a pistol cocking is heard.

_"Come on!"_ I can hear him... I can hear ME - taunting them again.

_"Come o-o-o-o-on! Come o-o-o-o-on! Come on, you macho fucks!"_

The Squad Leader reports to his Boss via his radio.

_"Sir, we have the intruder cornered. What shall we do?"_ A pause.

_"Bring him to me."_

Two gunshots are heard, followed by bodies falling. Realising the futility of the situation, my past self comes to a decision: Suicide.

BANG! A third and final gunshot punctuates the lethal bullet that ultimately took my life, just as the troops burst in.

_"We're late. He's dead... he just killed himself."_

_"No matter... bring me his body."_

The recording ends... and it all comes back to me now. Looking in the mirror, I see a two-inch-high, metallic-looking gold-coloured letter 'H' on my forehead... and that's when it hits home. I feel a sense of anger and pain, but at the same time sadness and regret.

_**So I'm dead... and those bastards resurrected me as a hard-light hologram... an electronic ghost with a physical presence confined to a virtual afterlife.**_

Looking at an envelope addressed to me posthumously, I pick it up and open it, revealing a plane ticket and an invitation to the latest King of Iron Fist Tournament.

**_Maybe... MAYBE... I can get closure from this Tournament - and I might just run into those girls again._**


End file.
